Are we having fun yet?Long weekends were fun back when I was a kid. But now that I am a mom...four days of family "togetherness" can be overwhelming. Luckily, Brad had the day off today, so we took the kids on one of our favorite quickie road trips...Washington DC.
The thing that makes this trip so fun is that we do it several times a year and stick to the same routine every time.
Any activity repeated more than once with children = tradition.
Tradition #1: Packing
The kids load up their own gear...or in Luke's case, just pull on swimtrunks the minute church is over!
Tradition #2: Road trip
The drive is about 3 hours, depending on traffic. Tradition dictates that there is a lot of en route snacking, silliness and holding our breath through the Ft. McHenry Tunnel.
The breath-holding is the quietest 2 minutes of the trip!
Ft. McHenry tunnel...pride and joy of I-95
Tradition #3: Lovely Accomodations
We always stay at the Bethesda Marriott Suites. The rooms are great, the food is good, but all the kids care about is this...
Tradition #4: Kids play...parents pray.
The kids have fun playing at the great parks...especially in 60+ degree temperatures this weekend!...
...while Mom and Dad spend a little time here (this is the best part for me)...
...and a little more time back here.
Tradition #5: The Long Ride Home
For some reason, the ride home always feels twice as long. Family togetherness starts to become annoying and nerves get a little frayed....and, then, just when you thought it couldn't get any worse....
Tradition #6: The Inevitable Automobile Upchuck
(Photo not included)
The offender shall remain anonymous, but his name does happen to rhyme with "puke."
Good times, good times. Tradition!
20 comments:
I LOVE traditions! I think it is so great to take a "simple" weekend trip and turn it into tradition. Looks like a blast! (All except the pukey part!)
I found your link on Rochelle's blog. We have a similar tradition of going to Houston. But we haven't made it to the temple there, yet. Looks like tons of fun!
I hope everyone had fun at the nutel! It sounds like Lukie had a few too many cheesebirgers!
(I'm glad you remember our family togetherness as fun, because my experience was more like the one you're describing. Micah was the upchucker in those days.)
rhymes with PUKE...love it!
Ah, hotel swimming. Better than Disneyland.
So, did you guys actually do a session? Aren't they closed on Monday? Who watched your kids? Enquiring minds want to know.
Greg and I used to go to DC once a month back in the pre-kids days to do temple sessions. We were poor folk back then, so we'd stay at the temple apartments for $20 a night. Good times, good times. I love that city.
That was wonderful! Such great pictures! I love the tunnel, one! Great photography!
You are making me miss my beloved Virginia! The Washington D.C. temple used to be the closest one for us :) I even think we have stayed at the same hotel.
Oh, poor Luke whose name rhymes with puke...that was funny...well, not the puking part, just the clever vomment, er, I mean comment.
Didn't you call him Pukey Lukey when he was a baby? I seem to remember him puking a lot in those days. Sounds like fun, even with the puker.
Rochelle--The temple is open on holidays like Pres. Day and MLK Day from 8-1. This is what we do...I get up and go to the first session while Brad feeds kids and takes them to the pool.
Then, I come back and take the kids to the park and lunch while Brad does a session. Then we all pile back in the van and drive home for 3 hours.
Makes you glad you live where you do, huh?
Factoid: We are the biggest US metropolitan area without a temple. Manhattan is closer, but we are not in that district and it is more expensive and less kid-friendly. Hence--the DC tradition.
Washington DC is our nearest temple too. It takes us 3.5 hors to drive there, and I have a lot of car sick children. I know exactly what you are talking about. I also like that you stay the night, and might try that. Whay a great tradition to have as a family!
Sounds like a great trip-minus the puke part. Our family just drove from NH to FL-Whew! It was a great trip-long but we made so many memories. Your kids will always remember these fun trips and that mom and dad went to the temple to do important work!
Traditions, in any form are special aren't they? Well, as long as the hotel has a pool, I guess. Love the pic of Luke in dress shirt and swim trunks--the important stuff!
Sorry for the return trip incident though.
We have a pool in our backyard and our kids still love hotel pools! Weird.
My husband's family is from Southeastern VA and we go out there ever few year for the Groseclose Family Reunion at Pipesteam State Park in WV. LOVE your neck of the woods!!!
(except for the year we hit the locust infestation....wasn't a huge fan that year!)
Sounds like fun . . . except the puke part. I sure hope you were almost home when that happened. Not fun to have to smell that for a 3 hour ride.
Oh! and we had a projectile puker in our family. We used to sit her in the farthest back seat facing backward!!! Her name rhymes with No-no, I hope she has one JUST LIKE HER!!
What a fun "tradition". I am so lucky our trip to the temple takes only 30 minutes. Good for you for surviving the trip. Barf in the car is never fun. Before Cole was diagnosed with acid reflux disease, we had puke everyday. I feel for you.
I'm glad you explained the sitter part. I was wondering also. So do you ever get to go together? I guess I should be more grateful for my opportunities....
Think they'll let my whole family stay in the temple apartments for twenty bucks a night for a week?
Seriously? Inevitable? Like EVERY SINGLE TIME??!! Sorry for you!
I'm so incredibly jealous of your getting to visit DC regularly. THat was totally our favorite city on our Back East trip a few years ago.
How lucky you are to be so close to DC! I like the idea of this tradition.
Thanks for not SHOWING the Luke Puke pic. That's appreciated.
I am a big tradition girl myself. You're the oldest right? Me too and I read something somewhere that the oldest is very into traditions.
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